Kingsland Kindergarten Ltd

Kingsland Kindergarten Ltd Kingsland Children's Centre, Eaves Lane, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST2 9AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/08/2013 20/05/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children make good progress in their learning because staff create a welcoming, stimulating and well-resourced environment, where children can play, explore and develop their skills.  Staff work extremely well with parents and carers. They value parents' input, keep them very well informed and offer lots of ideas to help support children's learning at home. Relationships are very strong, which benefits children's care and learning.  Effective care practices positively support children's health and safety. Safeguarding procedures are robust and staff's knowledge of safeguarding issues is consistently monitored. This helps to ensure children are protected from harm.  Children and staff benefit from strong leadership. There are clear development plans in place to drive improvements and support children's achievements.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The effective observation and monitoring of staff practice when changing children's nappies has not been fully explored.  There is scope to enhance the system for gathering information about children's starting points on entry, so that more emphasis is placed on children's learning, development and abilities.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the four playrooms, outside play areas, and carried out joint observations with the deputy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff, children, parents and carers, and held meetings with the deputy and manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff, and sampled a range of other records and policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed parental questionnaires and took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Kingsland Kindergarten Limited was registered in 2009. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Kingsland Children's Centre in the Bucknall area of Stoke-on-Trent, and is managed by limited company. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from four rooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, including two at level 2, 10 at level 3, one at level 4, one at level 5 and one at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 90 children on roll. Of these, 60 are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It also provides care for older children attending before and after school and during school holidays. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 review the location of the nappy changing area, so that it is easier for staff to observe and monitor each other's practice when changing children's nappies

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 expand the systems for gathering information from parents about children's starting points on entry to the nursery, to establish a more comprehensive picture of children's prior skills, knowledge and understanding.

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who attend

Staff interact well with the children and implement effective systems to support their learning and development. They evaluate their observations of the children and complete accurate assessments of their emerging skills. Planning is effective and shows children's individual needs and interests are considered. Consequently, children take part in a wide range of enjoyable learning experiences that help them to acquire the skills to be ready for school. Children's playrooms are well organised and very well resourced, including a variety of natural materials for children to investigate. Generally, useful systems are in place to gather information about children's starting points on entry, but there is some duplication of information and not enough emphasis on what children know and can do.

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who attend

Staff use gentle tones and cuddles to sooth babies when they become a little unsettled. They encourage them to press buttons on the musical toys and babies show their pleasure as they smile and sway. Toddlers enjoy outdoor play, for instance, when they create their own models using recyclable materials. Staff support their interest well, as they ask meaningful questions, introduce new words and provide commentary on what children are doing. Pre-school children enthusiastically take part in counting songs, such as, 'five little monkeys', which staff enhance by providing masks for children to wear. The role play area proves very popular, for instance, as children busily prepare the local dish using a variety of real vegetables and spaghetti.

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who attend

The well-balanced daily routine includes planned times for children to work in smaller key groups and take part in activities to promote their understanding of letters and sounds. Staff support children's ability to listen and concentrate during focussed activities, for instance, by placing signs on the door to remind others not to disturb. Staff implement the 'time to talk' programme to support children's speech and language. Children are closely monitored in this particular area of learning and the manager confirms that children have made significant progress. Pre-school children have direct access to the school's reception class, which is particularly beneficial when they are ready to move onto school.

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who attend

Well-presented displays show children benefit from interesting experiences, such as forest school learning, and discovering the life cycles of frogs and butterflies. This positively supports their understanding of the world. Staff make good use of the local community to extend children's learning, for example, by providing interesting opportunities for them to visit the hairdressers, the post box and also use public transport. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Effective communication tools are introduced to help children express their needs and the visual timetable is valuable in helping children to understand the nursery routine.

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who attend

Staff use many ways to involve parents and carers in children's learning. For example, the 'magic moments' board encourages parents to share children's achievements at home. Staff have recently introduced home visits, to help build close relationships with parents and aid children's smooth transition into nursery. Parents are kept very well informed of children's progress, for instance, through ongoing discussions and regular meetings to review children's learning files. They also receive plenty of ideas for supporting children's learning at home. Parents and carers say children are 'a lot more confident and have come on leaps and bounds' since being at nursery.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Parents and carers confirm that children 'settle in fine' and they feel 'reassured when leaving the children at the nursery'. This indicates that arrangements to support children's transitions as they enter the nursery are effective. Children receive good levels of care and attention, and they show they feel safe and emotionally secure. For example, they demonstrate their close relationships with staff as they seek them out to give them a cuddle. Key persons sing children's favourite song as they carry out personal care tasks, such as, nappy changing. This provides valuable opportunities for them to extend their close bonds with the children.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are cared for in a clean and healthy environment because staff consistently implement good hygiene routines. For instance, they use anti-bacterial gel to clean their hands after wiping a child's nose. Oral hygiene is particularly well promoted with pre- school children, as they look forward to brushing their teeth after lunch. Staff show enthusiasm by singing a song about how to brush teeth properly and telling children how beautiful their smile is. This reinforces their learning and builds their confidence. Healthy eating is positively promoted and children can help themselves to fresh fruit, which is available in all rooms and in the entrance hall. Lunch is provided by an outside catering company and staff take care to check the food before it is served to the children.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

All children benefit from having direct access to outdoor play space, therefore, enabling them to move freely between indoors and outside for the majority of the day. Staff encourage children to exercise in the garden, which is well equipped to promote all areas of children's learning. For instance, children enjoy digging in the sandpit and sharing books in the tents. The steep slopes and steps provide additional challenge for children and allow them to take supervised risks. Children show an awareness of hazards, as they remind each other to be careful when riding the wheeled toys. They behave well and have good opportunities to develop their self-care skills, particularly during lunchtime where they serve themselves and clear plates.

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provision

The nursery is successfully led and managed, and the manager clearly understands her responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has high expectations and provides good support and direction to the team. Strong emphasis is placed on staff development and ensuring they all work together for the benefit of the children. Practice is regularly observed and firm arrangements are in place to tackle underperformance if necessary. Team meetings, supervision and appraisals are consistently implemented to support practice. This means monitoring systems overall are very effective. However, the location of the nappy changing area for children aged under two years is quite isolated, which makes it difficult for staff to observe and monitor each other's practice when changing children's nappies.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are very effective. Comprehensive procedures and safeguarding displays throughout the nursery guide staff to take prompt action in order to keep children safe from harm. All staff are continually tested on their knowledge of safeguarding issues, for instance, using pertinent questions and scenarios. This helps them to respond confidently to any concerns about children's welfare. Risks to children's safety are minimised because staff carry out effective risks assessments of the premises and outside. Recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are robust, which means staff are suitable and well-qualified to care for children. Ongoing training is positively encouraged and some staff are undertaking additional training to enhance their professional qualifications.

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provision

Self-evaluation is very thorough and takes into account the views of staff, children, parents and carers. This informs a comprehensive development plan that clearly targets areas for improvement. The manager closely monitors the content of children's learning records, which helps to promote consistency in practice and ensure any gaps in children's learning are identified and addressed. Partnership working with parents and carers is excellent, and parents think the nursery is 'fantastic' and the staff are 'very caring and very helpful'. This, together with close links with other professionals, makes a positive contribution to children's care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY388293 Local authority Stoke on Trent Inspection number 915092

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 66 Number of children on roll 90 Name of provider Kingsland Kindergarten Ltd. Date of previous inspection 20/05/2010 Telephone number 01782 856 042

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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